Overview

Running CTMAINT

Toolbar Items

Accelerator Items

Popup Items

View Sample Tools

Export Bitmaps

Version Number Control

Generate Tool File

SuperNova tools are created and maintained with the CTMAINT utility program. Each tool context has a unique name (6 characters maximum), and contains three types of tools:

• toolbars
• accelerators
• pop-up items

A toolbar contains icons. These icons are bitmap images that represent a specific event (e.g., a picture of a comet represents the launching of a Comet session).

The icons are BMP files. Comet98 supports two sizes:

• Small icons are 15 pixels wide by 16 pixels high (CTMAINT will accept images that are 16x16 pixels, but will truncate the bottom line of the image).

• Large icons are 32 pixels wide by 32 pixels high.

For the sake of convenience, we recommend that you store the BMP files in a separate directory such as C:\BMP.

Accelerators consist of keyboard shortcuts. For example, the default tool context (the "initial tools") offers two accelerators:

• Ctrl+N launches a new Comet session
• Ctrl+P prints the current screen

A pop-up menu consists of menu headings plus one level of menu items. Each menu item represents a specific action. You can add separators between the menu items to visually separate sections of a menu.

SuperNova Actions

Each tool is associated with a specific action. For example, when you click the mouse on the comet icon, a new Comet session is launched. SuperNova provides a rich colletion of actions for each tool, including:

• launching the Comet Help System (help messages, lookup programs, lookup tables)
• executing a Comet subprogram
• replaying a text string into a data entry field
• launching a Windows document/application
• performing a system action (launching a new Comet session, exiting from Comet, etc.)
• intercepting the tool by the current MTB program

Some of the above actions are the same as the actions performed the by Nova function keys. In fact, the NOVA program processes the following SuperNova actions: launching the Comet Help System, executing a Comet subprogram, and replaying a text string.

The "system" actions consist of the following system-level operations:

   1    Launch a new Comet session
   2    Print the current screen (Windows dialog box)
   3    Print setup (Windows dialog box)
   4    Change font (Windows dialog box)
   5    Change color (Windows dialog box)
   6    About (Windows dialog box)
   7    Exit from Comet
   8    Toolbar display -- on/off toggle
   9    Status bar display -- on/off toggle
  10    Copy clipboard
  11    Paste clipboard
  12    Cut clipboard
  13    Display Comet release notes (RELNOTES.TXT text file)
  14    Tool button size -- toggle between small/large icons